Acts 21:40

Saturday, 18 November 2023

So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying, Acts 21:40

The Greek reads – “And he, having permitted; Paul, having stood on the stairs, shook with the hand to the people. And great silence having come to be, he spoke in the Hebrew dialect, saying,” (CG).

Paul had just spoken to the commander, requesting permission to speak to the people. With that, it next says, “And he, having permitted.”

The commander was probably curious as to what would come about, and so he allowed this unusual request. Paul was safely out of the grasp of the people, the soldiers were obviously in control of the stairways, and the people would be no threat at this point.

Thus, allowing this could possibly control the crowd more. If they remained riled up, nothing would be lost. Therefore, permission was granted, and “Paul, having stood on the stairs, shook with the hand to the people.”

With permission comes action. Paul, being on the stairs, would have been above everyone in the crowd. The perfect participle indicates that Paul first stood, certainly facing the crowd. This alone would have brought the crowd’s attention more firmly on him. With that, he then motioned with his hand.

The word kataseió was also used in Acts 12:17, 13:16, and 19:33. It gives the sense of waving downward with the hand. It is probably the same type of motion we make even today. When someone is being noisy and another person is trying to sleep, we may make the shhhhh sound while motioning downward.

By making this common hand motion towards the people, the crowd would have suddenly become interested in hearing him. With that, it then says, “And great silence having come to be.”

Anyone who could get a Roman commander to stop in the middle of an arrest and allow the supposed offender to speak would certainly have something to say. The mental picture is worth ten thousand words.

He would have been in chains that clanged as he moved. He would have been surrounded by a large number of soldiers bearing swords and shields and fully dressed for battle. He would have been in a traditional Hebrew garment and without any great flash. And yet he is allowed to speak! Who wouldn’t stop and grow silent? The marvel of the moment would have been an attention-arresting sight. With that, it next says that “he spoke in the Hebrew dialect, saying.”

With the coming of the silence came forth speech in their own language. Some translations say “Hebrew,” others “Aramaic.” The lingua franca was Aramaic and this is what he would have spoken to them in.

In other words, the Hebrew language used in Scripture would be taught in synagogues, but the language of the Jews had evolved beyond that in the common speech of the people. This is the same idea as understanding ancient English and reading from it out of the Geneva Bible while normally speaking in the common English of the United States today.

Hints of this Aramaic tongue are found in the gospels, clearly indicating that the original Hebrew was no longer the common tongue of the people. As for what he is about to speak to the crowd, curiously, the chapter ends in the middle of a sentence.

Some use a colon, some a semi-colon, and some a comma. However it is punctuated, it is one of the convincing proofs of divine attention to the chapter and verse divisions of Scripture. A new chapter will commence in the middle of a thought.

Life application: People often get bent out of shape when they are told Paul spoke in Aramaic to the people. It is as if a sacredness has been removed from their thinking and they immediately go on the defense, insisting that the people spoke Hebrew.

Call it what you will. It was not the language used in the Old Testament Scriptures. Today, the people in Israel speak Hebrew, but it is also not the same as in the Scriptures. Just as we find it very difficult to read the English of John Wycliffe, so it is with ancient and modern Hebrew.

The language of Israel at the time of Jesus and the apostles was so infused with Aramaic that calling it Aramaic is probably a better description of the dialect that would have been commonly spoken. The important issue isn’t the exact dialect that was spoken but that what Paul spoke to them was what they also understood.

He was fully capable of speaking in their local dialect. This is the same as what it says in 2 Chronicles –

“Then they called out with a loud voice in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, that they might take the city. 19 And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth—the work of men’s hands.” 2 Chronicles 32:18, 19

Here, it does not say “Hebrew.” Rather, it says Yehudith, or “Judean.” The language of the Jews had evolved into its own particular dialect. That dialect was known by some of the attacking army and it was spoken clearly and openly to the people.

The study of languages in the Bible and during biblical times is an exciting adventure. But remember, no matter what language you speak, the Lord understands, reading your heart and knowing what is on your mind. Be blessed in this thought. The intimacy that you share with the Creator because of Jesus is closer than any variations that our languages develop over the millennia.

Lord God, no matter what language we speak, You are intimately familiar with our thoughts as we open our hearts to You. You gave us languages and they have evolved throughout the world. And yet, people from every tongue will sing their praises to You. How great it is to share intimacy with You through Jesus, regardless of which language we speak! Amen.